1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to the fields of graphics control and power management and more specifically to managing power consumption in a graphics controller subsystem.
2. Description of the Related Art
Computer systems have been implemented for years as desktop systems utilizing monitors. With the advent of laptop systems and of increasing awareness of power consumption in general, some moves have been made to cause central processing units and monitors to conserve power. However, other portions of a computer may also be used to conserve power. Furthermore, in laptops in particular, conserving battery power may prove to be of great importance to potential users. While companies such as AMD and Intel have been providing power sensitive central processing units, no power sensitive graphics controllers are currently available. Given that power-intensive nature of graphics controllers, taking advantage of potential power savings therein may enhance the value of systems using graphics controllers.